


Platonic Set Theory

by Angikirby (Angi_K)



Series: Traces of Axioms [2]
Category: Axiom Verge (Video Game), Death Road to Canada
Genre: Will post every day during March
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-11-07 14:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17962043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angi_K/pseuds/Angikirby
Summary: A collection of short fics for BroTP March 2019 on Tumblr.





	1. Advice

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to do this challenge using the same format as my "Multiversal Axioms" series. I loved doing Multiversal Axioms, so I felt that that kind of thing would fit well here too. I will attempt to do it for the entirety of March.

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace sips his coffee and flips through the notes on his desk, frustration building. Hammond enters the office, about to greet his coworker, but stops when he sees him hunched over his desk. "Again? How many nights have you been working overtime?!"  
Trace completely ignores the question and drinks down the last dregs of his coffee. Eventually, he sits back in his seat, sighing. "I don't know what to do! I just can't get this damned thing working!"  
Hammond pinches the bridge of his nose and heaves a sigh. "Trace. You need a break."  
Trace seems to have ignored that comment but mutters "break, break" to himself. An idea suddenly hits him. "A break in the code, hey it's worth a try!" He writes on his notes and stands up. "Thanks for the suggestion, Hammond! Come on, let's get it started!" He moves out of the office and heads down into the labs. Hammond shrugs and shakes his head, but follows after him.


	2. Wingman

_Absu, Sudra_

"I don't know about this," Trace comments, apprehensive.  
"It'll be fine," Hammond reassures, "Just go talk to her!"  
"But-"  
"Look, I'll come with you to give you some back-up." Hammond starts pushing Trace towards her direction. "So just talk to her!"  
As soon as he is shoved right in front of her, she greets, "Trace..."  
"Uh, h-hey, Elsenova," replies a nervous Trace.  
This is not gonna go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I don't even know. I tried.)


	3. First Meeting

_Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Earth_

"Why... are you sitting here by yourself?"  
Trace completely ignored that hesitant question in favor of continuing to read his book.  
Hammond rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it sucks... being the new kid."  
"Everyone was a new kid once," Trace replied, without looking away from his book.  
"T-That's true, but..." Hammond trailed off.  
"You want to make it not suck for me, is that it?" Trace flipped a page. "Thanks for the sentiment."  
"Can I...?" Hammond started to ask, but Trace moved over to the left under the tree to make some space for him.  
Hammond sat to his right and peeked at his book. The words seemed to be far out of his grade level. "Quantum physics," Trace said in response to Hammond's unasked question about the book's topic.  
"Oh. Sounds hard."  
Trace shrugged. "Not particularly." He flipped to the first page and moved the book over so that Hammond could have a better look at it. "We can read together if you want."  
Hammond started to relax and smiled. "That sounds good."  
So they spent the rest of recess reading together underneath the tree.


	4. Watching a Movie

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

The microwave beeps and Hammond carefully removes the steaming bag. "Trace, the popcorn's done!"  
Trace finishes plugging in the DVD player to the television and nods to Hammond. He takes the movie off the shelf and puts it into the player, then he meets Hammond in the kitchen to get the plates and cups to take to the living room. A grinning Hammond fills a large bowl with the popcorn and takes it along with a box of pizza and a liter of soda into the living room with Trace.  
With their snacks placed on the coffee table in front of them, they sit back on the couch and Trace starts the movie with the remote control.


	5. Singing Karaoke

New Mexico, USA, Earth

"This is not gonna go well," Trace comments with dread.  
"C'mon, bro... It won't be so bad!" Hammond slurs in an attempt to reassure, hiccuping in the middle of his statement, but Trace is having none of it. "'Sides, you sing good!"  
"Are you so drunk you've forgotten that I hate singing in front of a crowd?" Trace asks, trying to stop Hammond from pushing him to the microphone on the stage.  
"It'll be fun!" Hammond exclaims as he shoves Trace right to the mike.  
Oh crap.  
Shakily taking the mike from the stand, the backing instrumental track begins, barely giving Trace enough time to take a deep breath before he starts to sing.


	6. Hurt/Comfort

_Stockholm, Sweden, Earth_

As soon as they enter their hotel room, Hammond slams the door. "God, the nerve of those jerks!"  
Trace sits silently as Hammond starts to pack their luggage. He continues to rant, "They had no right to treat you like that! They had no right to insult you and call you names!" He shoves a jacket harshly into his luggage, barely avoiding tearing it. "What the hell kind of name is "Athetos" anyway?!"  
It's not long before Trace speaks up. "Have I been wrong this whole time?"  
Hammond halts when deciding whether or not to stuff the snow globe in there. "Don't let what they said bother you. They're just jealous." He thrusts it into the luggage.  
"What's there to be jealous of?" Trace asks, his voice a sad monotone. "Some guy who can't even prove his theories right?"  
Hammond is a lot gentler with packing Trace's things. After he's done, he moves both it and Trace's wheelchair. "Trace, it's gonna be okay." He puts a hand on Trace's shoulder, slightly startling him, "I'll never think less of you. I promise." He squeezes it gently before putting his hands back on the wheelchair and luggage and pushes both out the door of the hotel room.  
"Thanks, Hammond." Trace can't help a small smile, "And thanks for standing up for me back there."  
"Of course!" Hammond says before pushing him and the luggage outside and calling a taxi.


	7. Pillow Fight

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace quickly shut out the snowstorm behind him as soon as he and Hammond came inside. He was shivering as he turned on his heater, slowly removing his frost-covered coat. Hammond had already taken off his own coat.  
Once Trace had changed into a red turtleneck sweater and matching pajama pants, along with a pair of brown boot-like slippers, Hammond got a brilliant idea to spend the time. "Hey Trace!"  
"What?"  
"Pillow fight!" With that, Hammond grabbed a pillow off the couch and chucked it at Trace, hitting him squarely in the face.  
"Oh, you jerk!" Trace threw the pillow back at Hammond, hitting him in the forehead, messing up his bangs. It escalated from there, these two grown men in their mid-twenties were swinging their pillows at each other, the fluff scattering about the living room. As soon as their pillows ended up empty, Trace lunged forward, tackling Hammond to the floor. Hammond squealed as they collapsed into a ball of flailing limbs, rolling around through the mess they made.


	8. Sports

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

The football flies in the air and is caught by the player. The player runs through the field, dodging opposing players, but before he can reach the end zone, he phases through the ground into an endless void of blue.  
"It happened again!" Hammond exclaims as Trace tries his hardest to contain his laughter, "Are you kidding me?!"  
"Don't look so down," Trace tells him after calming down a bit.  
"But crap like this always happens!" Hammond complains. "God, these glitches get worse every year! Can't they spend at least a little bit of time looking over them before shoving them out on the shelves?!"  
Trace stands up from his spot on the couch. "All right, all right." He resets the game console connected to the TV. The image of the football player floating in the blue void is replaced with the football game's title screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally could not envision these two nerds actually playing sports, so here's them playing a sports game instead.


	9. Caught in the Rain

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

What an awful night to forget an umbrella.  
Everyone else has gone home before the torrential flood began cascading down on the Mesa facility. Only two scientists remain in the building.  
Hammond stands by the doorway underneath what little shelter from the storm outside the laboratory, waiting for his workaholic colleague and friend to finish up inside.  
The door opens and a red umbrella sticks out to shield Trace, who had finally finished, from the downpour. "God, finally!"  
Trace holds the umbrella above Hammond. "Well, come on, you don't want to stand all night out in the rain, do you?"  
"Of course not," Hammond grins and they head out towards Trace's car in the storm.


	10. Road Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to base this off of Death Road to Canada because why not.

_Florida, USA, Earth_

"Hammond, hurry up!" Trace calls out from the driver's seat of his van.  
Hammond rushes out of the house, his arms filled with packaged food items and a couple of cans of gas. He dumps them all in the back seats before jumping into the passenger seat. "I grabbed what I could," Hammond says as he buckles up.  
Trace nods. "We'll probably be able to find more stuff on our way to Canada."  
Trace revs up the car and it drives off. Not too far behind, a wave of zombies starts to flood the street, ravenous and raging.


	11. Sharing Secrets

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

"Hey... Hammond?" Trace hesitantly asks.  
"Yeah?" Hammond pauses pouring his coffee to look at Trace with curiosity, "You've got that lost look again. Everything okay?"  
Trace nods slowly. "Y-Yeah, it's just..." He takes a long pause before he begins again, "What if... I'm not the Trace you thought you knew?"  
Hammond frowns. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean," Trace tries to explain, "how would you react if, hypothetically, you found out that I'm... a clone?" He looks downward. "And... the original Trace has done some heinous things?"  
Hammond is silent for a long time. He gives Trace a steaming mug of black coffee and dumps a bunch of cream into another mug. "Is that what's been bothering you? Since you've woken up at the hospital?"  
Trace nods and takes a sip. He gauges Hammond's reaction to his question, but Hammond's expression remains neutral. "Trace, don't worry about that." He smiles at Trace as he sprinkles a lot of sugar into his coffee. "Clone of a criminal or no, you're still you. I think you'll be okay."  
Trace can't help but smile as he takes another sip. "Thanks, Hammond."


	12. Birthday

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

"Hey Trace!" Hammond pops into Trace's office.  
Trace glances up from his computer screen. "Yeah, Hammond?"  
"Can you come into the break room?" Hammond asks, trying to contain his enthusiasm. "It's important!"  
Trace raises an eyebrow. "Sure. Just give me a moment to finish this report."  
"All right!" Hammond leaves the office and goes back to the break room.  
A few hours later, Trace enters the room. He starts to ask Hammond what the problem was but is interrupted by a loud shout of **"SURPRISE!"**  
Trace jumps back in shock. "What...?"  
"Happy Birthday, Trace!" Hammond grins and hands Trace a package wrapped in colorful wrapping paper.  
Issac slices up and serves the birthday cake to the party attendees, including Hammond and Trace. He gives Trace the biggest slice. "This whole party was Hammond's idea," Issac tells Trace.  
Trace's eyes widen and soon enough, his smile widens as well. "Thank you, Hammond!"


	13. Cuddling

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace and Hammond quickly get inside. The snowstorm outside rages relentlessly. Temperatures are unusually low as well.  
In an attempt to fix that, Trace adjusts the thermostat to try to make the living room warmer. He shivers while waiting for the heater to kick in, moving to sit down on the couch. Hammond joins him, noticing that Trace is still shivering. With nothing else to warm Trace up, besides the slow heater, Hammond wraps his arms around Trace and pulls him close. Surprised for a moment, but not exactly unappreciative, Trace adjusts himself so he can hug Hammond back. Maybe sharing body heat would make do until the heater decides to do its job.


	14. Board Games

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace stares at the board for a long time.  
"Stumped, huh?" Hammond questions.  
"No," Trace responds slowly, "I'm just thinking."  
"About?"  
"About if it's possible to do this."  
Before Hammond could ask what Trace means, Trace takes his black King piece and hops diagonally across Hammond's white men pieces, circling the board before claiming those hopped over pieces. "Guess it is."  
Hammond stares, mouth hanging open in complete bewilderment and awe at the incredible move Trace just pulled off.


	15. Truth or Dare

_E-Kur-Ma, Sudra_

As they hide in the temple from the Sudran guards, Hammond at one point asks, "Hey Trace. Truth or dare?"  
After pondering on the question, Trace answers "Truth."  
"Are we just gonna be hiding here forever?" Hammond asks, exasperated.  
Trace shakes his head to the negative. "Eventually, they'll get tired of looking for us."  
Hammond sighs. "Good. I'm kinda tired of looking at all this green. Your turn."  
"Okay, truth or dare?"  
"Dare!"  
Trace looks around the garden until he spots those green fruits hanging on the branch over there. "I dare you to take a bite out of one of those."  
Hammond bravely marches over to the branch, pulls off one of the fruits, and takes a bite out of it. He immediately splurts and gags until he spits it out. "Ugh, God! That's disgustingly bitter!"  
Trace can't help but burst out laughing.


	16. Water Park

_Indi, Sudra_

These few pools of water that have sprung up in this area seem safe enough, unlike the larger and more numerous pools of pink corrosive acid located in two of the areas this area is connected to.  
Trace and Hammond glance at each other before looking back at one of the pools. Trace hesitantly dips one of his boots into the water, but he accidentally slips and falls in.  
Hammond recoils from the splash. "Are you okay?!"  
"Yup. It's harmless," Trace answers when he resurfaces.  
The two then spend the rest of the day in that pool, as Trace amazes Hammond with how long he can hold his breath underwater.


	17. Silly Debate

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

"Please! That's literally physically impossible!" Hammond's voice shouts, yet with a teasing hint.  
"Theoretically speaking, nothing is impossible," Trace's not as loud but just as teasing voice echoes down the hall in reply to his colleague. "We just haven't found a way to make it physically possible yet."  
Hammond shakes his head as he attempts to contain his laughter. "Dude, there's no way. What would even make it happen anyway?"  
Trace shrugs, smiling. "Who knows? It's still fun to think about, though, right?"  
"I guess," Hammond concedes on that point, "Even if it's not possible."


	18. Dancing

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Getting drunk and singing was one thing.  
But this is pretty ridiculous.  
Trace questions why he and Hammond came to this night club instead of their usual bar. If there was one thing he was more uncomfortable doing than singing...  
"C'mon, Trace! It'll be fun!" A sloshed Hammond tries his best to yank his friend to the middle of the floor.  
...It's dancing.  
"Hammond, please," Trace tries to remain seated on the stool, "This isn't happening."  
"Come on," Hammond drawls and with one sharp yank, Trace is right in the middle of the crowd of dancing, drunken clubgoers.  
Trace usually likes the kind of music the club's DJ has playing, but in this situation, the music sounds like a mocking taunt. He sighs as he resigns to his fate.


	19. Video Games

_Hyrule_

This is the last chest he can check before he has to go back to the other game.  
It was a lot of hard work to reach this chest with the few tools he had. He hopes it's worth it.  
Anticipation builds as he opens the chest to reveal...  
A pack of Super Missiles.  
"God damn it," curses Hammond, forcing Link to move to a doorway that links to Super Metroid's Planet Zebes before he relinquishes the controller back to Trace, who is trying and failing to contain his laughter.


	20. Shopping

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

They make a beeline to the comic books as soon as they enter the book store.  
"Where did they have it again?" Hammond asks.  
"It's alphabetical," Trace answers. They both search the shelves until Trace pulls the comic they were looking for. "Found it," he says as he shows Hammond two of the copies in stock.  
Hammond grins wide, almost unable to contain how excited he feels. "Hell yeah! The newest issue!"  
They move up to the cash register to pay for the copies. Afterward, they leave for the retro game store next door.


	21. Roller/Ice Skating

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

The skate park is unusually empty, which is good because Trace and Hammond can figure out skating in relative privacy and peace.  
"This is not like in the video games," Trace comments, clinging onto a handrail.  
"Of course not," Hammond teases as he slowly tries to slide his feet, "There's no chance it'd glitch out on us."  
Trace slowly pushes himself away from the handrail and tries to move one foot in front of the other. Unfortunately, his foot slips and he stumbles and falls before he can grab onto the handrail again.  
"You okay?" Hammond asks, trying to help Trace back up before he slips as well.  
Now they're both on the concrete. They would have to remove their skates before they can get back up properly.


	22. Camping

_Kur, Sudra_

Finally emerging from the craggy caverns below, the surface, though arid, displays a beautiful mountainscape.  
Awed by the breathtaking view, Trace and Hammond breathe in the air, fresh compared to the air underground.  
"Let's find somewhere to set up," Trace says as the sun sets behind the pixelation beyond the skies. The moons come out in full force.  
Hammond nods and spots an empty cave. While it appears shallow, it should still provide protection from the elements. "There?" Hammond asks, pointing to the direction of the cave.  
Trace nods, agreeing and they take shelter in the cave. After they set up camp, they take turns keeping watch for any of those native guards while the other gets some needed rest.


	23. Relaxing

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace and Hammond return to Trace's home after their shopping trip. Trace puts the plastic bags on the coffee table in the living room to extract the comics they bought while Hammond brings two cans of soda from the kitchen and places one on the coffee table before swiping his copy of the comic and jumping down on the couch.  
Trace sits down on the couch next to him and turns on the TV with the remote control and picks up his copy of the comic.  
It's nice to just chill like this once in a while, where the TV provides background noise as they read their comics and occasionally comment on the events occurring.


	24. Race

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

"Holy crap," Hammond comments as he and Trace watch the marathon.  
"I know!" Trace says, "Those are some sick strats!"  
Four gamers are racing a speedrun race of the video game adaptation of Trace and Hammond's favorite comic. Each racer is playing the game on a different platform, each hooked up to a separate screen and all broadcasted simultaneously on a main split screen.  
"Did you see how quickly that guy on PC killed that boss?!"  
"Yeah, but it wasn't as cool as that sequence break there, skipping past that time-consuming room!"  
"I'm gonna donate." Trace types on the laptop, writing a quick message to go along with his charity contribution.


	25. Cooking

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace flips the pancake from the pan to his plate, on top of the stack of freshly made golden brown fluffy pancakes he has made only moments ago. He smiles that his part of the breakfast is coming along well. He turns to Hammond next to him. "How's yours going-"  
"Crap!" Hammond exclaims as he pulls his pan away from his side of the stovetop range. He reveals that his sausage patties have been charred to a black crisp.  
Trace looks at Hammond's pan and tries not to laugh. "I knew your burner was too hot."  
"Yeah," Hammond responds, resigned.  
"Hey, they could still be good," Trace comments as he quickly takes one of the burnt pucks and bites into it.  
He immediately gags.


	26. Puppies/Kittens

_Kur, Sudra_

While nothing on Sudra really could be classified as neither "puppy" nor "kitten," these small white fluffy creatures are almost like a mix of both.  
One side of the cave holds a group of sleeping creatures huddled together. Another side has another group playing together.  
"Aw, these things are cute!" Hammond exclaims as he slowly approaches the playful group.  
"Careful, Hammond," Trace warns.  
"It's fine, I just gotta- whoa!" One of the creatures jumps on Hammond and bowls him over. The other members of the group start to do the same. Trace is unsure if they're just playing with him or if they perceive him as a threat and are attacking him as if he is.  
"Ha ha, that tickles, stop!" Hammond's laughter seems to imply the former, to Trace's relief.  
"Mogra" sounds like a good name for them, Trace thinks.


	27. Babysitting

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace sticks the Wiimote into the stuffed baby toy and holds the nunchuck as the game loads.  
"So." Hammond says, "This is from Cooking Mama."  
"It looks like it," Trace comments, using the C-stick to navigate the game menus until he is prompted to hold the baby toy.  
As soon as he picks it up, a red warning message pops up with Mama saying "No no no! Please don't shake the baby!"  
"But I haven't even done anything yet!" Trace complains as Hammond bursts out laughing, Trace quickly joining in.


	28. Gardening

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Hammond's character stands still as flowers sprout underneath him, surrounded by flowers of other colors and types.  
"Are you just gonna plant flowers all day?" Trace complains. "It's almost noon!"  
"I just want my town to be beautiful!" exclaims Hammond.  
Trace rolls his eyes and moves his character to talk to Joan. "Crap, the prices went down again."  
"It's your fault for waiting all week to sell your turnips." Hammond points out as his character plants more flowers. "They're rotten already anyway."  
"Well, I need the ant for my museum anyway," Trace says as his character buries the rotten turnip next to Hammond's flowers.  
"Hey, don't do it in my town, you jerk!" Hammond's character quickly digs up the turnip, leaving behind a hole. He fills it up and plants a flower in its spot.


	29. Yoga

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

"Oh God, my back!"  
"I don't think my spine is supposed to bend like this!"  
Trace and Hammond are currently attempting to contort their bodies in ways that may as well be impossible, causing unneeded strain on themselves.  
"This is supposed to be relaxing?!" questions an incredulous Trace through gritted teeth.  
"I think we're doing it wrong..." answers Hammond.  
Trace loses his pose and collapses. "I can't do this," he complains.  
"Y-Yeah... let's stop!" Hammond agrees when he too collapses. "Ugh..."


	30. Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: They're in their teens in this.

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

"Why did I agree to this?" questions Trace as he stands in the doorway.  
The partygoers are already drunk as they hang all over each other and roughhouse rowdily. The bass of the music pounds Trace's eardrums, so loud that Trace isn't sure Hammond had heard his question, as Hammond swipes two cans of beer from the table near the door and hands one to Trace. Hammond then opens the can and downs half of it. "Relax," Hammond says, his words already starting to slur.  
"I thought this was going to be a normal birthday party," Trace points out, "If our parents find out, we're dead!"  
"It's fiiiiiine," Hammond slurs after downing the rest of the can and hiccupping.  
Sighing, Trace puts down his unopened beer can and grabs Hammond and leaves before Hammond can get any drunker.  
"C'mon, man, the party's getting started!" Hammond exclaims but isn't able to resist.


	31. AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the earlier idea for the game in which Trace is killed in a train wreck.

_New Mexico, USA, Earth_

Trace and Hammond board the train that will take them to the residential area their families live.  
They take their seats. Trace rests his arm on the window side armrest and Hammond puts his arm on Trace's shoulder. "It's gonna be fine. We'll find jobs again," he tells him, trying to cheer him up.  
Trace sighs, "But that was our dream job! We were going to change the world! If only I didn't screw up."  
"Trace, it's not your fault," Hammond reassures, "I'm sure we can-"  
Their conversation is cut short by the screams of other passengers.  
Panicking as the train collides with a dump truck that has wheeled onto the tracks.  
The train explodes violently on impact and all lives on board have ceased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that this challenge is at an end, here are my final thoughts:  
> I surprised myself by two things: that I was able to complete this challenge and that some of these ended up as good as they did. While I did struggle as I expected to, I actually had a lot of fun doing this.  
> Would I do this again? Probably. Would I use Trace & Hammond again? Maybe, but I may use two of my own OCs next time.


End file.
